Hours after departing Nassau, Bahamas, guests sailing aboard the Disney Wish were alarmed when the secret emergency code for "man overboard" was broadcast throughout the ship.
Around 8:00pm on August 26, the Disney Wish began to slow down, and crew members jumped into immediate search and rescue efforts.
According to eyewitnesses, crew members were throwing life rings over the port side of the ship, and at least two rescue boats were deployed.
(Credit: Tom McLaughlin/X)
Eventually, all guests were asked to report to their muster stations, so the crew could conduct a headcount and identify potential witnesses.
Passengers began to report that everyone onboard had been accounted for. Still, all guests had to stay in their assigned assembly stations, even after their headcount was finished, until the entire ship was cleared.
"[The captain] made an announcement this morning confirming that everyone was safe. Said that it was most likely a large piece of debris in the water that was mistaken [for] a person," one cruiser shared on Reddit.
They added, "As consolation for the interruption of the events last night, everyone was comped $150 to their accounts, so that's a nice surprise. Just glad everyone's safe!"
There was also a notification on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app that confirmed the report of a possible man overboard situation, prompting the crew to jump into action and conduct a full muster drill.
"Better safe than sorry. It was nice of Disney to add the stateroom credit. They didn’t need to do that, but I’m sure it calmed down any weirdos who were going to go full blast at guest services this morning," another user wrote.
Disney Wish is Disney Cruise Line's second newest ship. She debuted in 2022 and sails from Port Canaveral, Florida, to The Bahamas. The vessel was on a 4-night cruise when the possible overboard incident happened. Disney Wish will return to Florida on Aug. 29.
Less than two months ago, a 5-year-old girl went overboard from a Disney cruise ship
(Credit: cmd.91/TikTok)
Initally, social media reports speculated that she fell overboard because of her father, who was irresponsibly holding her on a railing for a picture. However, the Broward Sheriff's Office confirmed that she wasn't being held.
After she fell overboard, her dad jumped into the ocean. He treaded water for over 20 minutes, keeping his daughter afloat until help arrived.
Miraculously, both the young girl and her father were safely recovered. Not everyone who goes overboard from a cruise ship is as lucky.
Most recently, a crew member went overboard from Sun Princess while the ship was en route to Istanbul, Turkey.
According to a letter shared on Reddit, guests received confirmation that a crew member went overboard on Wednesday, Aug. 20, while traveling through the Dardanelles Strait.
The incident was verified through review of CCTV footage. Unfortunately, the crew member was not located.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she traveled frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas during her freshman year of high school. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
